


For You and Yours

by nautical_2



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: But Read At Your Own Risk, M/M, What am I doing, ace!moniwa, and maybe s3, asexual moniwa, demi!semi, lol, minor spoilers for the manga, not ace moniwa like spiker moniwa thats stupid, plus not-minor spoilers for the manga, shoutout to eric thanks bro, swiss!semi cause y not, these characters arent that important to the story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-05
Updated: 2016-08-07
Packaged: 2018-07-29 11:53:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7683514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nautical_2/pseuds/nautical_2
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Here’s to you and yours,<br/>And to mine and ours,<br/>And if mine and ours ever come<br/>Across you and yours,<br/>I hope you and yours will do<br/>As much for mine and ours,<br/>As mine and ours have done<br/>For you and yours!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> ignore like all the spelling mistakes and grammar mistakes please i am but a poor teenager with bad schooling.

The first time they meet, they are young and fresh-faced, ready for their first practice game as part of a real high school team. He’s not nervous, he was never the kind of person to fear scenarios like these, but when he looks across the court he sees a boy with thick hair and dark eyebrows and wonders if that’s what it’s like to look afraid. The boy can hardly hold the ball correctly, he’s shaking so much. Compared to Shiratorizawa, Date Tech looks like a band of children who are determined to make their place in the world. 

They play well, but Eita thinks they could have played better. He watches their setter (it’s hard to believe the scaredy cat is actually a starter) and winces at every ball missed and every set gone wrong. His team is more than capable of making up for it, but it still holds no candle to the power shown by Ushijima and the rest of the upperclassmen. What makes it better (or worse) is the face the boy makes, like he knows what went wrong and just can’t fix it. Eita thinks that makes him clever, although he makes sure to stick to rooting for his own team. 

The tension in the air after the game is strange. They win, of course, in only two sets. Date Tech hardly looks upset, but he sees the scaredy cat’s shoulders shaking and wonders if this is the first time he’s lost. It would be surprising if that were the case, but Eita has definitely seen stranger things. 

He follows the boy into the bathroom and wonders what he’s doing. It’s unlike him to comfort people, hell, it’s unlike him to willingly seek out other people’s company. And yet he follows him into the bathroom, closing the door softly and waiting for whatever-the-hell’s about to happen next to happen. 

“What do you want.” Scaredy cat phrases it like a statement, or a fact, but Eita knows differently. It is the question of the insecure, for the unsure to establish a sense of power over those they lose to. 

“Nothing.” Eita says. And really, it’s the truth. He wants nothing from this boy. What he wants is an answer, perhaps. Or maybe a scenario to start with. There is nothing interesting about following someone into the bathroom, but perhaps there is something stimulating about hearing the woes of strangers. 

“You’ve won.” He turns around to stare at Eita, eyebrows drawn together into a glare that would shatter the soul of a weaker being. “What would be the point of boasting when we both know your team is better than mine?” It dawns on Eita that perhaps this isn't the boy's first lost. Maybe he's angry and sad because it's Shiratorizawa that he lost to, and no one can beat Shiratorizawa. 

It is perhaps this fact, this rhetorical question, that kicks Eita’s brain into overdrive. He is not here to boast, and based on the other boy’s face, he knows that. Half of the boy can be seen in the reflection of the dirty bathroom mirrors, and he focuses on that while he forms his response. 

“I did not play in the game. I did not win.” He doesn’t say it to be mean, of course not. Maybe he is a little mad that he remained on the sidelines for the whole game as a reserve setter, but rarely in his life has he ever met someone who constructs voiced phrases with the sole purpose of hurting someone else. But the boy’s eyebrows furrow further, and Eita remembers how absolutely _terrified_ he looked on court, and changes tactics. 

“Semi Eita.” He sticks his hand out rather abruptly, but it does it’s job. The frown on his companion’s face is almost instantly replaced by a look of utter confusion. 

“Moniwa Kaname.” The words come out slowly, as though from someone who really does not want to say them. But Eita stores them away in his brain, and recognizes this boy as a potential new friend. 

“You played well.” He says, ignoring how Moniwa surreptitiously wipes his hand on his track pants. “You would have played better, had you not been so scared.” 

Moniwa snorts at that, not even bothering to hide his incredulous expression. “Yeah, right, why don’t you go face off against the strongest team in the prefecture for your first game as a starting member and see how you fare.” His face changes from incredulous to just plain rude and Eita internally winces at the words he knows are coming. “Oh wait, but _you didn’t play._ ” 

It is a clever retort, meant to both sting recipient and reassure the speaker. But Eita is nothing if not discreet. He hides his discomfort in the dark recesses of his brain before whipping out a pen and reaching for Moniwa’s arm. 

Unsurprisingly, Moniwa immediately jumps back from that decidedly suspicious movement. But Eita slows down and takes his time reaching for his arm. This time, Moniwa stays still and allows Eita to remove the cap of the pen with his teeth and politely shove the sleep of his jacket up. 

“What are you doing?” Admittedly, this is a strange thing to do upon meeting someone. Eita could have done this several different ways, one of which including not sharing his number at all. The pen cap in his mouth makes it a bit hard to talk, so he writes out the ten digits in silence before recapping his pen and making his way out of the bathroom. 

“What was that?” For a moment, it seems to Eita like Moniwa is nothing but a parrot, repeating the same question over and over again the way it was trained. But when he turns around, his phone number is successfully covered by the white and teal sleeve once more. Moniwa’s reflection is barely there, on the edge of the mirror and covered by grime. 

“If you want to talk,” He says, nodding at the covered arm, “I’m willing to listen.” 

He leaves the bathroom before Moniwa’s glare burns a hole into his (disgustingly) pink jacket. 

*.*.*.*

Surprisingly, Eita does get a phone call from Moniwa. Granted, it is two weeks after the Shiratorizawa v.s. Date Tech game, but he is more surprised that Moniwa thought to take down his number before it washed off. Cheap ballpoint pens, after all, don’t last very long on skin. 

“I hate texting.” He says, the minute Eita picks up. “It takes too long and my fingers are too big to type properly.” Eita makes a noise of agreement, ignores the fact that the call is coming now and not two weeks earlier, and they leave it at that. 

Like most teenagers his age, though, Eita would much rather prefer to text than actually talk to someone with his voice. But, being the good person he is, he ignores his roommate’s complaints and spends most of his time talking to Moniwa about both trivial and important things, such as the best kind of dog and how much they hate and love their teams. 

Eita himself talks about Ushijima Wakatoshi and what it means to have such a huge player (literally) playing for his team, and how everyone feels so insignificant in turn. In turn, Moniwa talks about what it’s like playing for a team of mostly third years as a first year, and how he feels insignificant in comparison to everyone. 

Their conversations stretch much further into the night than they should, considering that they are both first years going to prestigious high schools. With Moniwa’s obviously short temper and Eita’s somewhat-hidden anger problems, their conversations are both long and loud. Even so, Eita studiously ignores Oohira’s complaints and continues to talk, grateful for a friend despite everything. 

*.*.*.*

Sometimes, Oohira asks why Eita never texts Moniwa. Eita tells him that texting means his screen will be lit up, and that would mean the room wouldn’t be completely dark at night. It's strange, but Eita wants to keep every little detail about Moniwa to himself. Sharing the little quirks that make Moniwa Moniwa with almost-strangers leaves a bitter pit in the bottom of his stomach. Oohira seems to take this for an answer, but sometimes Eita sees him squish his pillow over his ears in an attempt to find some sleep. He doesn’t laugh, but Moniwa does when he tells him, and Eita wonders if it’s really only been a month since they became friends. 

*.*.*.*

Moniwa tells him bits and pieces about his parents sometimes, and it’s all Eita can do to stay in his room and not escape curfew to maim them. They aren’t bad parents by any means, but he can hear the hidden anger in Moniwa’s voice when he talks about them. His mother is gone, off with some other guy he doesn’t know, and his dad and stepmother are insistent on a perfect family. Sometimes, Moniwa will talk about how they want him to quit volleyball, how they want him to focus on his studies and make them proud. Eita thinks about the practice game all those months ago, and thinks that they already should be proud. 

*.*.*.*

In return, Eita talks about his problems making friends. He doesn’t apologize for their creepy meeting, and nor does he apologize for the forced-number-taking that took place. Instead, he talks about how his whole life was split between Switzerland and Japan, and how his parents never thought that teaching their son both German and Japanese at the same time would be a problem. He talks about how terrified he was to go to school in Japan, how terrified he was to have to make friends in a place he doesn't know. Moniwa doesn’t pity him; instead, he talks about cheese and knives and Eita feels absurdly grateful for some odd reason. 

*.*.*.*

The next time they meet in person is a week before finals week. Eita knows it’s a terrible idea, especially with all the studying that should be going on, but he leaves for Switzerland the night after school ends and wants to see Moniwa one more time in person before the break. 

They meet at a cheap ramen place close to Moniwa’s house. Curfew at Shiratorizawa is later than it normally is due to the upcoming finals, and Eita takes advantage of this by choosing a place more accessible to Moniwa than himself.

He gets there early, too, but clearly Moniwa has the same idea. They find a table together, away from the prying eyes of people they don’t know.

At first it is awkward. Eita is dressed in a button up and jeans that Tendou says looks uncool, but Moniwa is still wearing his practice clothes. Moniwa calls the waiter over long before Eita is ready to order, so he says the first thing he sees when he looks at the menu. It’s weird, this tension between them, and for a moment Eita wishes he was alone talking on the phone because that would make this a lot less bothersome. 

Unsurprisingly, Moniwa is the one to break the ice. He mentions a particularly good setter at Aoba Josai who actually refused an offer from Shiratorizawa (or so they say). Apparently, Date Tech faced Aoba Josai in a practice match similar to the Shiratorizawa one, and managed to make it to three sets before losing. 

Eita knows about this. He’s heard all about Oikawa Tooru and how he dared to go up against the great Ushijima. It’s laughable, the way everyone sees Ushijima. To others, he is a monster who thinks of nothing but volleyball. To Eita, he is a sleepy dog who steals mangas from Tendou to read the ads. But they both fall silent when they realize that with Oikawa Tooru, Aoba Josai is a school to fear. After all, Oikawa Tooru is a _brilliant_ setter, maybe better than both of them combined. 

“I almost did the same thing, you know.” He says, taking a sip of tea in an attempt to relieve the tension. Moniwa’s eyes widen so large Eita thinks noodles are going to come out of them. 

“Did what?” The curiosity is apparent in Moniwa’s eyes, and Eita takes pride in the fact that even after all of this time he can still instill something in Moniwa besides comfort and normality.

“Refuse the offer from Shiratorizawa.” And Moniwa looks so surprised and angry at the same time that Eita doesn’t even try to resist the urge to laugh. It’s good to laugh, good to be free even with his impending leave ahead of him. 

“I didn’t want to go to school here.” He says, trying to appease Moniwa’s angry eyes. “I liked it in Switzerland, I didn’t want to change what I had.” Moniwa must understand, or at least sympathize, because they both sit in silence to finish their food. 

As they pay, Eita wonders if he’s ever had a friend like this before, someone he can talk to about anything at all hours of the day. The reality of his situation burns like a warm fire in the pit of his stomach, and he feels completely and utterly _satisfied_. 

*.*.*.*

“Do you regret it?” They’re standing at the bus station, Moniwa looking up at the sky and Eita looking down at the ground. The speckles of concrete underneath his feet shine in the dim light, and he thinks about all the work and effort that went into creating such a space where people like him and Moniwa could wait for busses together. 

He wants to ask what he means about regret, but Eita thinks he knows what Moniwa means. He thinks about Shiratorizawa and the people he’s met. About Tendou and his lizard like qualities, Oohira and his unfailing support, and Yamagata’s unnecessary volleyball jokes. 

He thinks about the past nine months, about the afternoon talks and late night rants, about the comfort of a friend ten clicks away. For a moment, Eita entertains the thought that Moniwa values this friendship just as much as he does. 

“No.” Eita says, watching the headlights of a stark white bus pull up to the stop. It’s Moniwa’s bus, and as his friend makes his way on to the vehicle, only one thought runs through his head. 

_I don’t think I ever could._


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> year 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my writing style changed so much also im really bad. Whose even reading this not me lol

Communication over the summer break ends up being random and sporadic. Along with the seven hour time difference between countries, Eita finds himself bombarded with family visits and friends to see. He doesn’t know how Moniwa is faring, but he still manages to find time to call at least once a week. 

They don’t talk about what they’ve each been doing. Instead, they think back to all the games they’ve played, all the times they’ve gotten to be on court. Eita says he might be a starter this year, and Moniwa’s agreement contains a tone of sadness. 

It’s good to keep up communication with him, even if it’s not as frequent as Eita would like. Their friendship doesn’t decay, but it doesn’t exactly move forward. 

Not that he needs it to, of course. 

*.*.*.*

When he gets off the plane in Japan, the first thing he does is check his phone. One missed call from Moniwa, with the unsaid expectation that Eita is to call back as soon as he can. 

When he does, he is on the bus headed for Miyagi. Somehow, Eita manages to find a seat hidden in the corner with only a sleeping traveler for company. When Moniwa answers, his neighbor snorts a little before turning into yet another awkward position to continue resting. 

“I’m back.” Eita says immediately. It’s nice to be back, to see the rising spires of corporate buildings and smell the fuel-tinged air of an airport. 

“Back where?” Moniwa replies, shuffling transferring through the devices. Eita can only assume the other boy is on his bed, lying down on a soft mattress and fiddling his fingers on his pillow. It brings up unbidden thoughts, and Eita pushes them away before he can fully process them. 

“In Japan.” He thinks it’s obvious, but perhaps it isn’t. After all, He never mentioned to Moniwa when he would be returning. 

The phone is silent for nearly a minute before a reply is heard. “I was under the impression that you would be staying in Switzerland.”

This shocks Eita into thinking back to every time he’s mentioned his vacation to Moniwa. Surprisingly enough, never had he said that he would be coming back. Every time he’s mentioned his leave, he had omitted the part of the story where he keeps going to Shiratorizawa and only goes back to Eurpoe to visit family. 

Eita laughs, and his busmate wakes up with angry eyes and a droopy mouth. “Don’t be ridiculous, Moniwa.” He says in an attempt to curb his smile. “Japan has been good to me. Why wouldn’t I come back?” 

*.*.*.*

Almost a month later, the team rants are back in action. Moniwa starts his complaints almost always by talking about goddamn _Futakuchi Kenji_. Apparently, Futakuchi is both unbearably annoying and unfairly talented. Paired up with Aone Takanobu, the Iron Wall of Date is definitely coming back into action. Moniwa warns Eita that the next time Shiratorizawa plays Date Tech, Shiratorizawa definitely will not win. Eita laughs and changes the subject. 

In return, Eita spends much of his time complaining about the new first year setter. Shirabu Kenjirou has nothing but aspirations to serve Ushijima, and Eita thinks he’s more devoted than a lost puppy. He’s not worried, though. Not yet, at least. He manages to make it to the starting lineup this year along with both Tendou and Yamagata, but ends up feeling Shirabu’s eyes on him during every game and practice session. 

It get’s worse from there, too. The coaches actually notice Shirabu’s fanboying, and while he is a good setter, the fact that they actually consider putting him in instead of Eita is ridiculous. Moniwa agrees with this statement, and they spend a month’s worth of phone calls simply complaining to one another in both fury and disgust. 

*.*.*.*

Moniwa’s birthday is a small affair. Eita calls to wish him a happy one, and Moniwa jokingly asks for a gift. Eita ignores the CD he bought for Moniwa, and instead vows to give it to him the next year.

*.*.*.*

“Do you think there’s anything I can do?” It’s very rare when Eita’s sense of self-pity makes itself known, but when it does, it’s a nightmare to get through. 

It’s not that he’s jealous of Shirabu or anything, it’s just that he’s worked so hard for this spot and his family believed in him enough to send him to school in another _country_ and there’s no way he can possibly let them down now. Eita loves his team, but sometimes he feels like everyone around him is getting better and better and he’s simply remained stagnant, even after all this time. 

Moniwa’s been getting a lot better, too. His new underclassmen do bring out the angry side in him, but Eita can tell that he’s been getting more confident in himself and more capable in strained situations. Sometimes, when he’s not talking to Moniwa, Eita will turn on his computer and watch Date Tech games in the quiet silence of his and Oohira’s room. 

“Punch a pillow.” Moniwa’s attempt at a joke is helpful, but not what Eita wants to hear. He knows that by simply changing his playing style he could remain a starter for the rest of this year and the next, but he doesn’t see the point in picking apart a team and sending six individual players out onto a battlefield in an attempt to have them work together. 

“Or you could practice serving. It’s basically the same thing.” His attempt at hiding a yawn is admirable, but useless. Eita knows that it’s late, much later than they normally talk, but this new idea sparks in his brain and he begins to develop _ideas_ and _plans_ to take this new strategy into action. 

*.*.*.*

He puts said plan into action almost immediately. When practice ends the next day, he requests for the coaches to let him stay longer. Washijou lets him, of course, but with strict instructions to not stay too long and to lock up when he’s done. Being a starter has some perks after all. 

It’s not long before Oohira becomes aware of what Eita is doing. He stays after as well, practicing his receives when faced with Eita’s jump-serves. At first, his serves are weak and powerless. But as time goes on, he finds comfort in the repetitive action and the sting of the ball against his hand. He thinks he might no longer fear losing his spot to Shirabu, not if it means getting to do this whenever he’s needed. 

His friendship with Moniwa, however, suffer greatly. He’s always exhausted once he finishes practicing, and with all the homework and duties that are required of him, calling Moniwa slips his mind. After a week of silence, he finds himself staring at his phone and wondering if it really is worth trying salvaging this mess of a friendship. 

Eita thinks back to the dinner they had before the break, to all the times they’ve talked and shared their problems. He thinks about the way Moniwa would snort when he said something that really wasn’t funny, and the way he doesn’t bother to hide his yawns when he get’s really tired. Eita considers all of this and wonders why he ever thought it wouldn’t be worth it. 

*.*.*.*

Somewhere along the line, Eita starts texting Moniwa. He doesn’t make a habit of it, but simply uses it as a way to evade his hectic schedule. He takes pictures of the horses on campus sometimes, or the unnecessary plants that litter the campus and make everyone’s allergies ten times worse. He’ll text random things about his day, including numerous complaints about both Shirabu and Tendou, and even more questions about Oohira’s eyebrows and Ushijima’s plant metaphors. Moniwa never replies to these texts, but helps to salvage the bits of their friendship Eita thought was lost. 

They still don’t manage to find as much time to talk as before, but that’s okay. Eita’s not insulted by Moniwa’s lack of text replies; instead, he listens to Moniwa verbally respond to the numerous texts sent throughout the day with a smile on his face. 

Oohira seems mildly creeped out that Eita’s face is anything but stoic, but he firmly turns around and tries once more to go to sleep. 

*.*.*.*

Eita’s birthday, in comparison to Moniwa’s, is the exact opposite. Moniwa calls him in the morning to wish him happy birthday, and Eita forgets to jokingly ask for a gift. Instead, he apologizes for the expected silence the rest of the day. 

It starts with Tendou. A completely unnecessary surprise party takes place instead of morning practice, and he is treated to a completely unnecessary lizard friend clinging on to him for the entire day. In the afternoon, after practice, he is bombarded by calls from relatives and old friends, along with a truckload of gifts sent from Switzerland. 

Three days later, he gets a CD in the mail, the exact one he plans on giving to Moniwa. He laughs, and tries not to think too much about what that means. 

*.*.*.*

For the last game of the season, Eita is switched out with Shirabu. He tries not to find it personal, but it’s a sting that hurts much more than it should. He still has his serves, but it hurts to see Shirabu take away the thing everyone else thought was his. He doesn’t tell Moniwa, but the other boy most likely already knows. The Tokyo games are broadcasted on live television, and there is no doubt in Eita’s mind that Moniwa is watching. 

It’s only slightly mollifying when they lose to Itachiyama. Shirabu looks like he’s about to cry, and Eita records his facial expression in the dark recesses of his mind. 

*.*.*.*

When Moniwa invites him out at the end of the year, they find themselves at the same ramen place they went to the year previous. A whole twelve months has changed Moniwa, and he looks more mature and capable than the curly-haired boy he met two years ago. 

This time, though, in an attempt to match Eita’s level of professionalism, Moniwa wears a blazer over his t-shirt. This sends Eita into a fit of laughter that is only calmed by the steady glare of Moniwa’s eyes. 

“It’s much too hot for that, you know.” The giggles still threaten to escape Eita’s throat, so he busies himself with reading the menu and not ordering something terrible like he did the year before. 

“Shut up.” It’s a testament to how far their relationship has come when, instead of threatening Eita’s life, Moniwa simply ignores him and his traitorous blush. Seeing Moniwa again burns in Eita’s stomach, and he thanks his blank expression for not dooming him to the life of emotional vulnerability that Moniwa lives. 

Moniwa does look good in his blazer, though. Eita tries not to focus too much on it when he looks up to order.

This time, their meal is considerably less awkward than their first one together. The hum of the restaurant only serves to ease the mood, and soon they find themselves talking like they normally do, only face to face and with food. 

“I wish we could play each other again.” Moniwa muses, pushing the noodles around in his bowl. It’s a wish reflected in Eita’s own eyes, if only for the wish of seeing Moniwa live in action one more time. Both this year and last year, Shiratorizawa and Date Tech had no tournament games lined up against each other, and Shiratorizawa no longer had interest in playing practice games against any school but University level teams. 

Their conversation is interrupted by a spiky-head boy with _really big_ arms. He wears the teal jersey of Aoba Josai, and heads in their direction while his (assumed) family attempts to find an empty table. 

“Semi, right?” He greets, most likely noting the (disgustingly) pink bag beneath Eita’s feet. He then refocuses his gaze on Moniwa and his Date Tech shirt before continuing. “Moniwa Kaname?” 

“Iwaizumi Hajime?” Moniwa replies along the same vein. These words spark something in Eita’s brain, and he thinks back to the shorter boy who was always at Oikawa’s side during both games and after the games. 

It dawns on Eita that they are in Aoba Josai territory, far far away from Shiratorizawa. If Oikawa’s actions are any clue, Eita could be in a land of people who hate him. 

He can’t find it in himself to care, really. 

“What brings you two out here?” Iwaizumi asks, crossing his ( _really big_ ) arms. “A little far from home, don’t you think?” 

It’s Moniwa who replies, crossing his arms in turn to mimic Iwaizumi’s pose. “Just getting dinner.” Eita can see Moniwa giving him a concerned look, but it’s steadfastly ignored. 

It’s weird, seeing Iwaizumi and Moniwa next to each other. They look nothing alike, but the similar slope of their eyebrows is impossible to ignore. Their skin tone is somewhat similar, and if Eita looks from afar, he doubts he would be able to tell the difference. 

Or maybe he can. Iwaizumi is nothing like Moniwa, even if they might look similar. He doesn’t know Moniwa’s snide comments, and nor does he have the same hidden sympathy. Iwaizumi doesn’t fidget with his fingers when impatient, and neither does he tap his foot along to whatever music is playing in the background. 

It’s scary how they look alike, but it’s even scarier to Eita how he can tell them apart so easily. 

“Well, I’ll see you around. Maybe.” Iwaizumi says. Eita refocuses his attention from Iwaizumi’s face to the table, and then to Moniwa who’s sitting across from him looking like a worried mother. 

“Right.” All three of them wince when Eita’s voice cracks, but Iwaizumi turns to leave and Eita breathes a sigh of relief. It’s not that he doesn’t like Iwaizumi, it’s just that there are too many thoughts running through his head. He can hardly look at Moniwa, let alone converse with an almost-stranger. 

It’s one of the most embarrassing moments of Eita’s life, to be completely removed from a whole conversation like that. He knows they were talking about volleyball, but this is where _Aoba Josai_ is located, and if there is one place to keep his mouth shut, it would be here. 

“I like you.” The words are unexpected, appearing randomly in a moment of uncomfortable silence. They take Eita a moment of surprise, and for a moment, he can only sit and stare.

Moniwa takes this moment to continues talking. “I mean, I know this is a really weird time to say this, but you were looking at Iwaizumi with such huge eyes and I couldn’t help but feel jealous and I-”

“Okay.” Eita says, if only to stop Moniwa’s waterfall of words. “Okay, I like you too.”

And in that moment, it makes sense. All those times he’s noticed small things about Moniwa, the way he values what they have so very much, how he can’t help but smile every time he talks to Moniwa and how he wants nothing more than to see Moniwa in person every single day. 

Moniwa smiles a relieved smile, like someone who was just saved from instant death. “Okay.” 

They hold hands at the bus stop, and in his mind, Eita thanks Iwaizumi.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i before e except after c more like english is stupid leave me alone please.

This time, when Eita leaves for Switzerland, he makes sure that Moniwa know’s he’s coming back. The response he gets is no more than a laugh, but it helps calm his strained worry. Sometimes, Eita can see himself living in Japan as an adult, sharing an apartment with Moniwa and two cats. It’s scary, but a lot less scary than it would have been two weeks earlier. 

Eita continues to text Moniwa, wanting him to understand the Swiss side of him as well as the Japanese side. He sends him pictures of the different foods, videos of his family and friends, and attempts to capture his old life in a series of images. He shows Moniwa his old volleyball club too, and when Moniwa calls the following night, he sounds much happier than he did the year previous. 

They talk about their new relationship as well. Eita talks about how he can’t really consider dating someone unless he knows them really well, and Moniwa talks about how he has no interest in sex whatsoever. 

“I know what asexuality is, Moniwa.” Eita says, ignoring Moniwa’s immediate reply of _no, call me Kaname_. He did research on demiromaticism, so of course he knows what asexuality is. 

“I’m not really into kissing either.” Moniwa says one night, when Eita’s entire family is asleep and the house is strangely quiet. The dorms at Shiratorizawa were never completely quiet, not even in the middle of the night. The change of surroundings is not entirely unpleasant, but Eita wishes he were back in Japan with Oohira’s constant complaining. 

“That’s okay.” Eita yawns, picking at his old blanket and trying not to fall asleep. “I have no intention in crossing your personal boundaries.” 

“Thank you, Semi.” Moniwa sighs, sounding relieved. Eita makes sure to reply cheekily with a _no, call me Eita_ before hanging up the phone. 

*.*.*.*

At first, Eita is hesitant in calling what they have a long distance relationship. They both go to school in Japan, after all, and they live in the same prefecture. But Eita has only seen Moniwa face to face three times in his life, so he introduces Moniwa as his long distance boyfriend when talking to Tendou and Yamagata. 

“It’s the guy you’re always talking to on the phone, right?” Oohira asks, while the team is stretching for practice. Oohira is finally on the starting line, and Eita pushes down the sour taste of jealousy. It’s like his first year all over again, watching from the sidelines as a reserve setter. It’s impossible to ignore Shirabu’s smug look, and Ushijima’s lack of understand doesn’t help either. 

“Yeah.” Eita mutters, pushing his legs into yet another uncomfortable stretch. Tendou coos loudly, Yamagata hides a smile behind his hand, and Eita reaches over to slap both of them before they get any dumb ideas about his love life. 

*.*.*.*

Sometimes, Moniwa will complain about his new underclassman Koganegawa. Eita hears much of this rambling, including all the complaints about his unnatural hair and annoying personality. He talks a lot about Futakuchi, and laughs at when the second year finds himself with a (literal) handful of excited setter. 

Underneath all of his complaining, though, is a hidden sadness. Moniwa will sometimes get quiet before talking about his first year and how terrified he was to play for Date Tech. He tells Eita about how unsure he was back then, and how he thinks that the current first years and second years are doing much better than he did the past few years. His starting spot isn’t at risk, not by any means, but Eita wishes he could do more than tell Moniwa of how amazing he always has been. 

*.*.*.*

This year, Eita is determined to make Moniwa’s birthday an amazing one. Taking a train out to Date Tech, he waits outside their gym for the team to finish practice. Ushijima simply stared at him when he told him he was missing practice, but he didn’t miss the sneer on Shirabu’s face as he left the school for the train station. 

Moniwa is sufficiently surprised. The expression on oh face when he sees Eita is priceless, and the reactions of his teammates makes it even better. Eita sees the brown haired boy and the tall rooster haired boy slap Moniwa on the back roughly, while the one with no eyebrows looks on in silence. The other third years simply laugh and go their own way. 

This time, instead of taking him out to the ramen shop, Eita takes Moniwa to a fairly upscale restaurant. He uses his allowance to pay for their meal, and gets to hold hands with Moniwa while he walks him home. All in all, it’s a good day. 

He barely makes it back in time for curfew, but Oohira covers for him. It’s pleasant, having friends he can rely on and a boyfriend he can take out for dinner. 

The CD Eita planned on giving Moniwa remains hidden in the crevices of his room. Perhaps someday he will tell Moniwa the story of his unrealized pining and gross over-affection. 

*.*.*.*

Saitou sees him serving one day after practice, over and over again the way he normally does. Eita hardly notices he’s there until he speaks up and asks him to try different serves. One hour later, the coach seems satisfied. 

The next day, during morning practice, Eita finds out that he is now the pinch server and reserve setter. It’s exhilarating to finally have his own position once more, and he spends the whole practice practicing his serves in the corner of the gym. 

“Congrats, Eita.” Moniwa laughs over the phone. Eita still can’t stop smiling, and he’s pretty sure Oohira is only a few seconds away from finding the nurse to fix his roommate. But Eita giggles, rolls over in his bed, and hears Moniwa laugh even harder over the phone. 

“I’m proud of you.” Moniwa says softly after a moment, and Eita blushes harder than he ever had before. He’s really not the type to blush (or show any facial emotion for that matter), but with this newfound relationship with Moniwa, it’s as though that’s all he ever does. 

“Thanks, Kaname.” The name feels safe on his tongue, even though Eita never liked using people’s first names when speaking to them. Recently, though, Oohira, Tendou, and Yamagata have all been asking him to use their given name. They don’t sit right in his mouth, though, not like Moniwa’s does. 

*.*.*.*

Other times, however, Eita will complain about Goshiki and how he’s even more of an Ushijima fanboy than Shirabu. Where Shirabu has made it his life's goal to constantly set to Ushijima, Goshiki has made it his life’s goal to _be_ Ushijima. Ushijima isn't a bad person by any means, but two Ushijima’s will have the coaches crying and Tendou in a nonstop rage. 

Eita feels himself getting left behind even more so than last year. Everyone else has a goal, someone they want to be, someone they want to beat. Instead of finding inspiration in the outside world, Eita serves serve after serve and tries to ignore the aching in his heart. 

“You don’t have to be like them.” Moniwa reassures him, night after night. By now, Oohira is more than capable of falling asleep while Eita talks on the phone, but for a moment he wishes Oohira was awake so he could have an excuse to hide his face. He doesn’t pity himself, he doesn’t hate himself, but everyone else is so _good_ in comparison. Even Moniwa. Especially Moniwa. 

“I’m proud of you.” Moniwa whispers, while Eita hugs his pillow close to his body. “I’m so, so proud of you.” 

In the dark, Eita tries his hardest to believe it. 

*.*.*.*

Eita’s birthday this year is just as overwhelming as the year previous. Unlike last year, however, he receives his presents from Moniwa on the day of his party. 

The CD’s are wrapped in silver and teal paper, with the Date Tech crest stamped on it. At this point, Eita’s brain rails to register the fact that Date Tech sells wrapping paper. Instead, he inspects title after title, marking them down in his brain and mentally calculating the cost. 

The price that Eita comes to is staggering. He can hardly believe anyone would spend that much on another person, let alone himself. 

He makes sure to properly thank Moniwa that night, whispering the same words over and over again. Moniwa laughs it off, but Eita makes sure he knows just how much he appreciates his boyfriend before he goes to sleep. 

*.*.*.*

During the winter break, Eita takes the train to meet Moniwa’s parents. Moniwa had already told them about their relationship, and they continuously bug Moniwa about meeting Eita. 

Moniwa’s home seems like less of a place where he lives and more of a place where he exists. There are no pictures on the wall, the furniture is clean and dark, and the floors are a marble white that Eita feels bad stepping on. 

The meal is more awkward than anything else Eita has experienced in his life. The food is good, but Moniwa’s parents don’t stop asking questions about his school life and home life. It’s an interrogation, one that Eita must pass to keep Moniwa. 

Fortunately for both of them, Eita has always been good in stressful situations. 

He answers the questions with ease, firing back more of his own. He learns about Moniwa’s older sister off in University, and of his parent’s jobs. Eita learns that they don’t approve of Moniwa’s “chosen lifestyle”, and it’s all he can do to not stab them with his chopsticks. They approve of him, though, which makes his blood hum in happiness. 

Moniwa apologizes countless times for his parent’s actions as he sees Eita out. His face is a dark red, and he looks both embarrassed and upset. It’s cute on him, but Eita thinks he would look much better confident and happy. 

“You know I love you, right?” Eita asks, turning his head over his shoulder while putting on his shoes. He wonders if he makes it obvious enough, with all the texts and phone calls and visits. 

“Of course.” Moniwa blinks a couple of times before answering. He then blushes more, like he can’t believe what he just said.

“Good.” Eita grins, happier than he’s been in a long time. “See you soon, okay?”

Moniwa nods before hurriedly putting on his own shoes. “I’ll walk you to the bus station.” His words are rushed and jagged, the result of a last minute decision. 

The walk is comfortably quiet, the hum of trains and cars filling the air. Moniwa’s hands are stuffed into his pockets, but Eita pulls one out gently to hold on to. He likes holding hands with Moniwa. It makes him feel safe and comforted, and Moniwa is always warm in the winter air.

“I love you too.” Moniwa blurts out, right when Eita’s bus pulls up. He’s not surprised, but it is good to hear it confirmed. 

“Goodnight, Kaname.” He whispers, squeezing Moniwa’s fingers once before letting go. Moniwa watches him with huge eyes as he gets on the bus, and he wants nothing more than to stay. 

*.*.*.*

It’s a month later when Eita finds out Moniwa is no longer playing volleyball. At first, it’s nothing but anger that fills his mind. Then it’s confusion, and then it’sregret. They never got to play each other, never got to see each other on a real court for a real game. 

It hurts so very much. 

What makes it worse, however, is the fact that Moniwa doesn’t tell him face to face. He figures it out by hearing it from Shirabu, who heard it from Oikawa, who heard it from Iwaizumi. None of the Date Tech third years decided to stay for the spring season, and Eita thinks that they must have been trying to support their captain, because there’s _no way_ they would choose to leave on their own. 

When he calls Moniwa, he’s quick to get angry. His parents have always feared his short temper, and he finds it shorter now than it ever was before. 

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me.” And he can’t, he just can’t. They love each other, they spent the past three years constantly talking, why isn’t Moniwa trusting him with something important like this? 

“I thought you would hate me.” The only person Eita knows with a bigger temper than himself is his boyfriend, and this fact makes itself very apparent. Their voices are borderline screams, and he can see Oohira out of the corner of his eye wincing at every exchanged word. He really can’t find it in himself to care. 

“Why on earth did you think I would hate you?” It makes sense when Eita thinks about it, why Moniwa would quit, but he doesn’t understand why he didn’t tell him. Moniwa’s parents have always been supportive of his volleyball playing and take every opportunity they can to make him quit. Eita knows this, and he knows that they would definitely take advantage of an opportunity where half the third years stop playing. He just can’t believe he got left out of something important like this. 

“I can’t do this right now.” He interrupts Moniwa’s ramblings, no doubt trying to make him understand. He’s unable to get his head straight, thoughts swirling in every direction. “I’ll call you back later.”

Never before had he ever felt so betrayed. His breath becomes shorter, his lungs struggling to understand that he just _hung up on Moniwa_ , so he glares at Oohira until he leaves the room. 

*.*.*.*

When Shiratorizawa loses to Karasuno, Moniwa calls him. The conversation is stilted and strange, neither of them knowing what to say. Eita assumes they’re still dating, but never have they gone this long without talking to each other. 

He’s furious, though, shaking in rage and possible sadness. Shiratorizawa is- was- unbeatable, and now a few fledgling crows have come to strip them of their title. He knows they’re good, he had heard that they beat Oikawa and Aoba Josai, but never did he think they would beat Shiratorizawa. Never did he think they would be him. 

Eita knows Moniwa is trying to comfort him, but he can’t take it. The tall one _blocked Ushijima_ , so there’s really no way he can calm down. 

What hurts the most is the fact that he couldn’t help his friends. He was sent in as a pinch server _twice_ , but barely managed to do anything. Eita knows that Shirabu is a better setter than him, he knows that Karasuno is a brilliant school, but he just can’t stop feeling so angry. 

“Well at least you got to play with your team.” Moniwa sounds to bitter saying this that it stops Eita’s thoughts completely. Moniwa, _his_ Moniwa, doesn’t get to play anymore. He doesn’t get to joke around with his teammates or make fun of Futakuchi or teach Koganegawa. Eita doesn’t get much more of his team either, but Moniwa is done. Completely and utterly done. 

“I’m sorry.” Eita whispers, and it’s all he can do to stop from bawling loudly into the receiver. “I’m sorry I dumped this all on you and I’m sorry than I can’t stop complaining and I’m sorry I got mad at you for not telling me and I love you, I’m so, so sorry.” 

He can’t stop the words from flowing from his mouth, and neither can he stop the tears from falling down his face. Eita doesn’t cry, he didn’t cry on the court or when they got back to the gym, but the tears won’t stop coming and he’s so very glad Oohira decided not to be in the room at this moment. 

Eita can hear the sobs from Moniwa’s end of the phone, too, louder and more desperate than his own. He wonders if Moniwa ever though to consider being sad for the end of his volleyball, or if he stuffed it all inside and refused to let it show. He wonders how much he really hurt Moniwa that day, refusing to listen to him. 

He can’t stop crying, but neither can Moniwa, so he counts that as a loss, but also a win. 

*.*.*.*

Making up is ridiculously easy after that sobfest. He calls less than a week later to talk through everything with Moniwa, and he finds himself back in love. There’s so much he hadn’t realized he missed, but now that he has it back, he wonders how he ever let it go. 

Moniwa tells him he’s so very proud, and Eita believes him one hundred percent. 

Some days, they fall asleep together while still on the phone. Third year is hard, but it means he gets to search for colleges and apartments with Moniwa. He asks Eita once if he wants to go back to Switzerland, but Eita replies with a vehement “no”, and they leaves it at that. 

All in all, it’s a good way to end the school year. 

When they go out for ramen like they usually do, Eita can’t take his eyes off his boyfriend. He looks young and fresh-faced, ready to take on the challenges of University away from his parents’ prying eyes. Eita looks forward to the apartment and the school, but he mostly looks forward to playing volleyball with Moniwa in an association team. 

They order the same things they usually do, but this time they share their meals. They are the disgustingly cute couple that causes people to throw up upon sight, but they don’t care. It’s their one year anniversary, and a celebration to the end of long distance. 

After dinner, Eita takes him back to Shiratorizawa to meet his friends. He makes fun of Tendou’s jokes, gets along almost too well with Yamagata, laughs at the end of Oohira’s room-suffering, and converses with Ushijima about the difference between strong players and tall players. 

When it’s time for Moniwa to go, Eita walks him to the bus station. They hold hands the whole way, swinging them back and forth to the music blaring from Eita’s shared earbuds. When Moniwa’s bus arrives, he kisses Eita on the forehead before he leaves, and Eita simply cannot stop smiling. 

*.*.*.*

The apartment they rent is small, but serviceable. Eita’s University was is minutes away by train, but Moniwa’s is a five minute walk. He gets to see Moniwa every morning before he leaves, and gets to say goodnight every night. Sometimes, he’ll meet up with the rest of the Shiratorizawa crew to hang out. Other times, Moniwa will leave to party with his friends from Date Tech. They adopt two cats, one from the streets and one from the shelter, and name them Lily and Jasmine. It’s a good balance of here and there, and sometimes Eita will wonder what he did to get so lucky. 

He’ll wake up to Moniwa’s face in the morning, however, and question it no more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i speed wrote this in 3 days because i am either super motivated or not motivated at all so for all like 3 people that are reading this thanks otherwise yeah. i have no idea if ill ever write anything else ever but these doods dont get enough love so yeah. 
> 
> also i know aone has eyebrows but shhhhhhhhhhh. 
> 
> ty. find me on tumbledryer michael-katy-perry.tumblr.com

**Author's Note:**

> im tired


End file.
